The Irish broadcaster, RTE, and organisers of the Hay literary festival in Kells are to mark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings with a programme of talks, music and poetry.
First World War historians will gather in Kells, County Meath, over the weekend of April 24th-26th 2015, the centenary of the first Allied forces going ashore on Turkey’s Gallipoli peninsula in 1915.
‘Gallipoli 100’ speakers include Philip Orr, author of Field of Bones: An Irish Division at Gallipoli; and Myles Dungan, presenter of The History Show on RTE Radio 1.
The 1915 campaign involved troops from Ireland (then part of the UK), Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand.
Organisers of ‘Gallipoli 100’ event point out that almost 4,000 of the 15,000 Irish soldiers who served on the peninsula were killed. Three quarters were from the volunteer 10th (Irish) Division, raised as part of Britain’s recruiting drive at the start of the war.
The ‘Gallipoli 100’ programme in Kells
April 24th: Irish First World War historian, Philip Orr, delivers the Francis Ledwidge Memorial lecture.
April 25th: ‘The First Draft of History?‘- Conference on the journalism and poetry of World War 1.
Speakers include RTE broadcaster Myles Dungan and Mark Duncan, of the Century Ireland project. There will be a video presentation by Heather Jones, from the Department of International History, London School of Economics, and author of Violence Against Prisoners of War in the First World War: Britain, France and Germany, 1914-1920.
In the evening, singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke will perform First World War-related songs in a show entitled ‘Poems of War, Songs of Peace.’ Poetry will be read by Kells-based Welsh poet Nerys Williams
April 26th: Day of lectures devoted to the Gallipoli campaign, including a Turkish perspective.
All events will take place in St.Columba’s Church of Ireland church, Market St, Kells. Full details can be found here.
The programme is partially funded by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund. It awards grants to organisations ‘working to build better relations within and between the traditions in Northern Ireland, the North and South, and Ireland Britain.’
Information & images supplied by RTE History Show and Hay Festival (Kells)
Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News